Bowling alley



F. E. KROKER Spt., l?, 1935 BOWLING ALLEY Filed Feb. 5, 1935 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Ouf Sept. 17, r1935. F. E. KROKER ZMQ@ BOWLING ALLEYFiled Feb. 5, 1935 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Sept. 17, 1935 UITED STATESTENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in bowling alleys, andparticularly to bowling alleys oi the portable or reduced range type,one which may be installed in homes and other places, which, due to thelack of proper length, preclude the regulation apparatus from beinginstalled.

An object of the invention is the provision of a reduced range bowlingalley having all of the essential characteristics of a regulation alleyand requiring the same degree of skill to play as the regulation alleyrequires.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a lower going alleyand an upper return alley, the end of the going alley being arcuate andhaving a, portion overlapping the return alley to guide the ball ontothe return alley.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a pivotallymounted back stop equipped with resilient cushion shock absorbing means,the back stop being so positioned the pins and balls on impact aredeected into the pit.

A still further object ofthe invention `is the provision of a slidableprotective means at the end of the pit. Y

A still further object of the invention is the provision of the gutterson either side of the receiving alley adjacent the pins and inclineddownwardly and into the pit.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a detachableportion of my novel bowling alley.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists inthe novel arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter morespecically claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:-

Figure 1 is a detail elevational view of my improved bowling alley,portions of the view being broken away.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of my improved bowling alley.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an end elevational View illustrating my novel slidableprotective means, the protective means being shown in its normalprotective position by full lines, and in the position the protectivemeans assumes when the player sets up the pins on the receiving alley.

Figure 5 is an end elevational View per se of my novel back stopequipped with resilient cushion means.

Figure 6 is a transverse elevational view taken on line I-G of Figure 2looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings in detail wherein similar reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numerali represents my improved bowling alley, comprising a going alley 8 and areturn alley 5 9. The alleys 3 and 9 on their longitudinal edges areequipped with guard rails I tl and II secured thereto in any suitablemanner, such as by screws or bolts I2. Interposed between these guardrails It and II are a plurality of Verticalrsup- 10 ports I3 which holdthe return alley in spaced relation to the going alley 8. The goingalley at the front end has a detachable portion I4 which is providedwith a substantially U-shaped cut out portion I5 which engages acorresponding cut 15 out portion I6 of the going alley 8. At the rearend, the going alley 8 is equipped with an arcuate portion Il, and thisportion I'I is illustrated in the drawings as vulcanite, however I donot limit myself to this specic material, as the arcu- 20 ate portionmay be made of wood, sheet iron or any other suitable material. It is tobe noted that the upper end portion of the arcuate portion I1 terminatesinto a horizontal portion I8 which portion overlaps the end of thereturn alley 9, 25 and this overlapping portion is in spaced relation tothe return alley approximately the, width of a playing ball. The arcuateportion I'I and the horizontal portion I8 serves as a continuation ofthe going alley 8. The arcuate portion I'I and the 30 horizontal portionIE are reinforced by a portion I9 which may conform to the contour ofthe portions Il and I8, and these portions I'I, I8 and I9 are housed ina housing 20, the vertical portion ZI of the housing serving as asupport for the 35 return alley 9.

The front end of the return alley 9 is provided with a pit 22, the rearend 23 of the pit being secured to the return aley 9, the front end 2liof the pit being secured in a manner to be later 40 described. On eachside of the return alley 9 I provide gutters which communicate with thepit 22 in a manner to be later described.

On the going alley 8 and positioned an appreciable distance in from thefront end of the going 45 alley are posts 2t. The guard rails I0 and I Ihave one end Td into the posts 26 which adds to the rigidity of my novelstructure, the posts also serving to support the return alley 9, theother end of the guard rails II being Td into the vertical 50 portion 2Iof the housing. Interposed between the posts 26 and some of the verticalsupports I3 are reinforcing sides 2l which are Td into the supports I3and post 26. 'Ihe top edges 28 of the reinforcing sides 21 engage thebottom edges 55 29 of the guard rails Il and serves as a furthersupporting means for the return alley 9. Mounted on top of the guardrails I i are side guards 30 having one edge Td into the posts 26, thebottom edge being dowled or otherwise secured to the top edge or" theguard rail Il. Transversely mounted between the posts and rigidlysecured thereto is the front end pit member 24. To the bottom edge ofthe members 23 and 24 is secured the iioor member 3| of the pit, themembers 23, 24 and 3|, and the members Il, and 21 comprising the pitstructure. The pit members 23 and 3| are further secured by screws tothe reinforcing side members 21.

Pivotally mounted between the side guards 30 is a back stop 32 equippedwith a padded portion 33 and resilient shock absorbing means 34, and asillustrated in the drawings the shock absorbing means are of resilientsprings, however any suitable resilient means may be employed. The backstop 32 is so mounted that it is spaced from the pit member 24 allowingfor swinging movement when struck by either the pins or the balls.

Referring to the drawings Figure 4, it will be seen that a gate 35equipped with a wire grille 36 is mounted for slidable movement betweenthe posts 26 and the gate is held in slidable position by track strips31. The gate is normally held in a protective position by weights 38,the gate being so positioned as to height, that the player may lean overthe gate to set up the pins on the return alley 9, the gate and Weightsthen assuming the position illustrated in dotted lines Figure 4. On thereturn alley I provide spots 39 for the pins in order that the playerwhen leaning over the gate may place the pins in proper position. Afterthe pins have been spotted the player takes his playing position, thegate 35 automatically assuming its protective position.

In Figure 1 of the drawings I have shown a portion broken away whichillustrates the incline portion 40 of the gutters adjacent the king pininto the pit 32. This novel arrangement of the gutters eliminates thepossibility of dead Wood interfering with the game and also provides ameans whereby toppled pins will go into the pit, where they areaccessible to the player.

In playing a game of pins on my improved alley, the player delivers theball on the going alley 8 where it travels until the curved portion ismet, the ball being then diverted to the receiving alley always beadhered to, the invention is susceptible l to certain changes andmodications and I do not wish to limit myself to the exact structure,and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention or the scope of the claims hereto appended, but l What I claimis:-

l. In a bowling alley, the combination of a going alley, a curved alleyand a return alley, the going alley equipped with a detachable portion,

a pit at the end of the return alley, gutters on each side of thereceiving alley, said going alley and return alley equipped with guardrails, the gutters of said return alley adjacent said pit being inclineddownwardly into the pit, side guard members secured to some of saidguard rails, a

back stop pivotally mounted between said side guard members, shockabsorbing means on said back stop, posts on said going alley, the saidguard rails and side guards being connected to said posts, and a movableguard means interposed d between said posts.

2. In a bowling alley, the combination of a going alley, a curved alleyand a return alley, the going alley equipped With posts and a detachableportion, a pit at the end of the return alley, gutters 3 on each side ofthe return alley, a portion of said gutters adjacent the pit inclineddownwardly into said pit, guard rails on the going alley and the returnalley, said alleys held in spaced relation by upright members, posts,side guard members and side reinforcing members, said side guard membersand reinforcing members secured to some of said guard rails and saidposts, a back stop pivotally mounted between said side guard members,

said back stop equipped with resilient cushion means, a gate slidablymounted between said posts equipped with a protective means and means onsaid gate attached thereto for normally holding said gate in aprotective position to said pit and receiving alley.

FREDERICK E. KROKER.

